The present invention relates to footwear for water sports, and more specifically to footwear worn during gliding on the body of water, while the user is being pulled along the body of water by a motor boat or the like.
In the recent years, it has become popular to engage in barefoot water skiing, which presents considerable danger to the feet of the skier. In barefoot water skiing, a sportsman holds by hands onto a pulling rope, while contacting the surface of water with his bare feet, and is being propelled about the surface of water at considerable speed. Various mechanical objects in the body of water, such as wooden splinters, pieces of plastic containers and the like which float in the body of water can damage the feet of the sportsman, causing serious injuries.
There are also known various elongated skis in which conventional water ski shoes of the sportsman are secured by clamps or similar means which allow the sportsman to engage in conventional water skiing sports. But, as with barefoot skiing, there is present a danger of injury to a sportsman, such as when a sportsman falls, the ski may become the damaging object, causing injury to the sportsman, breaking and leaving the broken pieces on the surface of water, so that the next skier is injured by the broken skis. There are also known special skie shoes which are worn by a skier performing stunts at water variety shows which conventionally are worn by the skiers and are adapted for securing in the clamp of a water ski and adapted to be easily disengaged from the water ski when required. Such example is shown in USSR Author's Certificate No. 925,359 issued on May 7, 1982 and entitled "Water Skier Towing Mechanism". The water ski footwear in accordance with '359 Author's Certificate is designed for engaging the towing cable through a special catch hook arrangement in the sole of the shoe, so as to liberate the hands of the skier while he is being pulled by his foot and allow him to support a partner and perform various stunts, while the shoe is raised above the body of water and the skier continues gliding on the surface of water with his other foot, which is engaged by a conventional water ski.
It is an object of the present invention to overcome deficiencies of the prior art and provide a safe alternative to barefoot skiing, allowing the user to glide on the body of water while wearing the footwear without the assistance of water skis.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a water sport footwear which has improved hydrodynamic qualities.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a water sport footwear which protects the foot of the sportsman, as it comes in contact with the body of water during gliding on the surface of the water.
These and other objects of the present invention will be more apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description of the invention.